A Burning in My Bones

October 1, 2020
Eugene Peterson was a pastor, teacher, and writer, a humble husband and father whose deepest prayer was to become a saint. Instead, fame came knocking with The Message, his reinterpretation of the Bible, published from 1993 to 2002. Eschewing the attention, he and his wife escaped to rural Montana to live and write. Before his death, Peterson authorized pastor and author Collier (Love Big, Be Well, 2017) to pen his biography, giving him access to his personal papers and journals. Taking on the daunting task, Collier recounts Peterson's youth as a Montana butcher's son, his time at college and seminary, and long (sometimes dry) years in a suburban Maryland pastorate. Peterson's lifelong sense of being an outsider and his realization that he spent more time with his congregants than his own family, echo the way Peterson's father placed his business ahead of family. Readers unfamiliar with this spiritual giant who was friends with Bono will enjoy the introduction, while Peterson's fans will love this biography that acknowledges even his faults and failings with reverence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2021

One thing that author Collier can't be accused of is skimping on his research. His latest book details the life of Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), whose greatest fame came from translating the Bible into idiomatic English with The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. The writing reflects Collier's access to a plethora of personal interviews, journal entries, and papers that comprise this narrative of the famed theologian's life. Collier traces Peterson's journey from his Pentecostal roots to his post-graduate work at Johns Hopkins, through his pastorships, and into his prolific writing career. At times, this can be too much of a good thing. Such a detailed picture is painted for readers that occasionally we learn what Peterson had for dinner. Overall, however, Peterson and his family are presented as real people, from time to time beset by the usual trials of the human condition. Insight is given into his relationship with his wife Jan and his children. Sometimes exhibiting a tendency to overwrite, the author, while mostly penning a flowing narrative, does a disservice to his subject--veering close to equalizing the trivial and the momentous. VERDICT For those who desire an in-depth look at Peterson's life.--Gail Eubanks, Univ. of Missouri, Springfield

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.